Shirley
by piccolabimba
Summary: Shirley is not Walter, but his dreams are starting to flit between flying and a woman with black hair and blue eyes. Post-RoI Shirley/Una


_"Jem is going back to college in the fall and so are Jerry and Carl. I suppose Shirley will, too. He expects to be home in July. Nan and Di will go on teaching. Faith doesn't expect to be home before September. I suppose she will teach then too, for she and Jem can't be married until he gets through his course in medicine. Una Meredith has decided, I think, to take a course in Household Science at Kingsport—and Gertrude is to be married to her Major and is frankly happy about it—'shamelessly happy' she says; but I think her attitude is very beautiful. They are all talking of their plans and hopes—more soberly than they used to do long ago, but still with interest, and a determination to carry on and make good in spite of lost years." – RoI Ch 35_

**Shirley Returns**

July came, and with it, Shirley. As the boys had been slowly returning over the past few months and Shirley only said 'July', there was no fanfare at the station. His 'clean job' as Susan had called it as an airman took longer than the others to send home their boys. While enlistment had been a necessity rather than exciting, the dream of flying was hard to resist. Shirley's dreams began to fill with flight. The exhilaration of liftoff from the ground in a large metal barrel with metal wings and somehow remaining airborne!

Shirley counted himself more lucky than skillful. He knew that Susan prayed daily that his plane stay aloft and he would not become a dreaded crash victim.

While walking up the hill to Ingleside, pack on his back and dust on his boots, he passed by a figure that he knew. It was so nice to see a familiar face!

"Hullo Una!" He called out to her. The young woman looked up from the ground where her eyes tracked her steps to see a young service man. One she knew?

"Hello," she replied, trying to identify the young man. He stopped in front of her and she caught a better look at his face. "Shirley! You're back!" he grinned at her.

"Yep, got off the train this morning. Couldn't send word to the folks, so I thought I'd walk up and see who's home."

"They will be surprised for sure. Mrs. Blythe was visiting Mother Rosemary this morning, but she was headed home about when I left." He adjusted the pack on his shoulder and took in her sweet face.

"It's great to see you, Una. It's nice to see a friendly face, old times and all. Catch up with you later?"

"Sure, I'm sure we will see each other again soon." She continued down the hill and he up.

Boy was Shirley glad to be home!

After the war, Jem seemed to revel in relaxing before returning to medical school at the start of the new semester, preferably in the company of Faith Meredith. Their engagement was certainly not hypothetical at this point.

Shirley couldn't stand the sitting around. The past two years of continuous on-the-go made the quiet life of the Glen almost unbearably slow. It was a strange time, for as Rilla had said before, it was like the world was on pause for four years, but time continued. It wasn't many days after he hugged his family hello that he was walking down to town in search of employment.

He tilted his chin towards the clear blue sky and remembered soaring overhead in metal planes in an exhilarating ride through unknown lands. After that first horrifying experience*, flying began to be more of what he was imagining. He didn't miss shooting enemy planes from the air, but rather the breathlessness of flight. As he learned more about the planes, he started to imagine finding another way up to the skies. A way that might involve his newly acquired mechanic skills.

As involved as he was gazing heavenward, he didn't notice the soft footfalls until a feminine voice asked, "Shirley?"

His attention quickly diverted to the speaker, taking in her dark hair and blue eyes. "Hullo, Una." Why did they keep meeting like this? He couldn't recall if they used to bump into each other as much before. But then, there used to be a lot more of them hanging around.

"Thinking of times among the clouds?" Her soft voice and cautious tone reminded him that she often conversed with shell shocked men. He smiled to assure her he wasn't reliving the death and destruction of past aerial battles.

"Flying is exhilarating." She visibly relaxed at his bright tone. "You should try it."

"I think I prefer being planted on the ground. Are you heading into town?"

"Yes, you?" She nodded.

"Mother Rosemary asked me to run a few errands."

"I'll walk you, if you like." She smiled and fell in step with him.

"That would be nice. We haven't had a chance to catch up yet, you and I."

Shirley decided that his search for physical labor could be postponed for a morning and found Una's gentle company soothing to his restless soul.

That night, his dreams flitted between the usual flights of his mind to mull over dark hair and blue eyes.

Shirley knew he wasn't Walter. In fact, they were quite opposites in many ways. Walter was dreamy, Shirley practical. Of course, there were points of intersection in this Venn Diagram. Both were quiet, both a little overshadowed by boisterous Jem. The biggest difference, though, was that while Shirley returned from the Front, Walter did not.

Shirley could not have predicted being in a love triangle with a childhood friend and his dead brother. However, he couldn't get past Una, and Una loved Walter. At least, that's what he understood, mostly from Rilla, after all, she had never said anything about it.

Shirley pushed himself off of his bed and went in search for some useful employment. After all, why was he spending so much mental time on this?

That winter, the Glen started to take notice that not only had Shirley _not _gone to Redmond with the others, but was spending his days working and many of his evenings at the manse. Anne was caught by surprise when a friendly but nosy visitor obliquely inquired after the pair while sewing a hem one afternoon. Susan met the accusation with protest.

However, when any caller dropped by the manse that winter, more often than not, they saw Shirley Blythe in the parlor talking earnestly with Una. This felt a little "old-fashioned" – after all, it was 1919! But Shirley knew that despite the crazy modern times, the Glen and Una were not quite up to anything more "modern" – such as going out every evening. Anyway, where would one go in the winter? It was soon understood by the Glen, probably before Shirley and Una knew it themselves, that they were "together".

As the warm weather slowly returned to the Glen, Shirley started collecting Una at the door to take walks along the shore, out to the Point, into Rainbow Valley. If the time in the parlor was for intense conversation and a light reflection on their shared family history, learning to understand the mind, the evenings outdoors allowed for an understanding of the heart. Shirley was quickly deciding that where Una was, that was where he wanted to be.

One of these fair evenings, they were climbing the hill that held the manse, when Shirley took one of his surreptitious glances towards his companion and was a little surprised to see her blue eyes stealing a glance at him. They broke the silence with an embarrassed laugh. As they did so, their fingers brushed and Shirley impulsively held on. The surprise was that she did not let go. Instead, she slid the rest of her hand into his.

Sleep did not come easy to Shirley that night. He remembered the feeling of her hand and the look in her eye. He remembered that strong desire to fold her into his arms and kiss her. This thought process led him down the road of last winter and the past month of springtime walks. That night, Shirley decided what to do next.

Shirley started to question his mental reasoning—he was sitting in the manse sitting room, alone. 13-year-old Bruce had been sent to fetch Una, and the other residents had vanished into the recesses of the house.

She came in quietly, a sweet smile on her face. "Hello Shirley," her soft voice reflected the smile. He sprang to his feet.

"Hullo Una," he waited until she settled on the cushion next to him on the sofa before sitting down again. Suddenly his previously fluttery nerves became a stomachache and he thought his heart hadn't beaten so fast since the first time he went up in an aeroplane. What was he doing here? Right. Better to plunge ahead. Worst that could happen would be for her to say no. Then he would take that job out west and be gone.

He took her hand and she looked at him with those dreamy blue eyes that seemed a little darker than usual. He cleared his throat. "Una, I came here today to ask… to ask you to marry me." Her lack of immediate response sent him into an explanation tailspin.

"…I know it's a bit strange, you and me, but—"

"I would like that very much, Shirley" he was about to continue with his very logical explanation of why he would dream of asking her to marry him when he registered her words.

"You would?" now she was giggling at his incredulity.

"Yes, of course. I _do_ love you, you know. You are quite a dear."

"I love you, Una. I realized it the other evening when we were coming up the hill. I wanted to kiss you then."

"You can kiss me now, if you like," Una blushed and looked down at their hands.

Shirley grinned before ducking his head to catch her lips.

The young eavesdropper on the other side of the door ran back to the kitchen to find his mother. His father was in his study and seemed unaware of their morning visitor.

"Bruce, what have you been up to?" his mother questioned the boy who couldn't be still.

"They were talking, but now it's all gone quiet!"

His mother seemed concerned with the wrong thing. "You were listening in on Shirley and Una? Shame, Bruce, you know better than to listen to what isn't meant for you to hear!" he was unrepentant. Couldn't she see that the problem was the silence?

"I didn't hear much of anything, really!"

Just then, Una came into the kitchen, alone. The boy couldn't stand the wait. "Well? Why is Shirley here so early?"

Una answered her step-mother's silent question first. "Shirley went to speak with Father," Rosemary's smile conveyed how she felt about the matter. Bruce was wild with curiosity.

"Why has he gone to speak to Father? What is happening!" The boy's exasperation was evident in his voice. Una turned to him and made eye contact before continuing.

"Bruce, Shirley and I are getting married. Shirley is talking with Father to ask his blessing. We will have to air your best suit!"

"Married! But then you will have to leave! That's what happened to Faith, anyway!"

"Yes, I suppose you would see it that way." But Una's face was beaming.

The manse people witnessed the first of three weddings between the Blythe and Meredith clans three months after that morning. The joke came down to Carl and Di being the only unattached members of their clans, with decided negatives. To reinforce that, Di asked her beau, Charles Wiley, to attend her brother's wedding with her.

He leaned over to whisper to her before the ceremony started, "I see what you mean, Di. These people would pair you up with a Meredith just to have a complete set of double first cousins!"

Shirley wasn't Walter, but that was okay. Walter had been a crush, a dream, a youthful infatuation. Shirley got to be the one to hold Una in his arms, kiss her, and tell her how much he loved her. He got to hear the same words from her, and that made sure he never felt a lack of being his brother. They both loved him, they both mourned him, but this way they had found each other.

Author's Note: One thing I like about fanfiction is that you can pursue an idea that you also conflict with. For example, I am fairly certain I want Shirley to go to college and be more than an airplane mechanic. But then, this storyline would not be able to take place, namely marrying Una in this timeline. So, to resolve that plot bunny, this is where I went. This timeline was a little tricky, I originally wanted theirs to be the third Blythe/Meredith wedding, but that wouldn't allow for Jem to finish medical school or Jerry to finish college and actually propose, so I made theirs the first wedding.

Historical Note: I employed some research about WWI era pilots and found out some really cool stuff. It seems to me that the Great War is a bit forgotten, overshadowed if you will by World War II. If you want to learn about what Shirley might have been part of, here are some facts and resources.

According to chronology determined by the AoGG Fandom based on clues from the books and way more research than I am willing to put in, Shirley was born April 2, 1897. I disagree here, because to me 1897-1917=20, not 18. I would argue that he was born in 1899. The U.S.A. joined the war April 6th 1917 (Friday). If his 18th birthday was the previous Monday, that would make his birthday April 2nd. (as he enlists the week after his birthday in RoI). anne of green gables fandom com/wiki/Shirley_Blythe

Canadian Involvement in WWI: Aug 4, 1914-Nov 11, 1918

As Canada was part of the British empire, when the U.K. join in, Canada was automatically in as well. Many, many Canadians joined the war effort (about 60,000).

Canadian air involvement: Near the end of the war, Canada had many young men joining the growing aviation corps. Shirley's choice would not have been possible for his brothers. Shirley would have served in the Royal Flying Corps (RoI Ch. 25 "Shirley Goes") – he says: "I can get into the flying-corps"

The Canadian Encyclopedia has the most complete account of Canada's involvement with WWI .ca/en/article/royal-flying-corps (Royal Flying Corps) .ca/en/article/the-air-war (The Air War)

Other sources include Canadian veterans associations and Canadian war museums.

www. .ca /eng/ remembrance/history/first-world-war/canada/canada16 (Veterans gc ca canada16)

www. War museum. ca/first world war /history /battles -and-fighting/air-war/air-training-in-canada/ (war museum. Ca air training in Canada)

Shirley enlisted in April of 1917 and returned July 1919 (almost 8 months after the end of the war in Nov 1918). He probably returned to people in the midst of the Spanish Influenza (Dr. Blythe would have been very busy around this time).

Training for Canadian airmen in 1917 took place at the University of Toronto, so Shirley would have been there for several months after enlisting. wiki/File:Lecture_on_rigging,_School_of_Aviation,_Royal_Flying_Corps_Canada,_University_of_ (Wikipedia photo Lecture on rigging, school of aviation, royal flying corps Canada, University of Toronto)

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was April 9-12, 1917 – Jerry Meredith was seriously wounded in that battle (Ch. 25 RoI) and it was a major victory for the Canadians. It happened shortly after Shirley enlisted. As training took several months, he would have still been in Canada in training (Possibly U of Toronto) during this battle.

By enlisting in April, he missed "bloody April", one of the worst times for pilots during the Great War. .ca/en/article/the-air-war (Canadian Encyclopedia "the Air War")

He would have been part of the Hundred Days campaign (August-November 1918)

These things got me to thinking, what would all these vets do after their time in the air force? Where would that put Shirley?

The survivors came back to Canada and, like all veterans, sought to reconnect with loved ones and find jobs. Many of the Great War flyers mapped the North or delivered mail to remote communities as bush pilots. Billy Bishop and William Barker, both wearers of the Victoria Cross, established their own flying companies, while others, like Raymond Collishaw, stayed on with the Royal Air Force, eventually rising to a senior rank and playing a crucial role in the early part of the Second World War. – The Canadian Encyclopedia, _The Air War_

I don't see Shirley as an entrepreneur or as a career military man. Maybe bush pilot or surveyor.

Primary Canadian Airplane: JN-4 (Canadian) "Canuck." – The plane Shirley would have flown. No wonder Susan was worried! Given the fatality rate of WWI pilots, it is remarkable that he was the only Blythe/Meredith to come back unscathed.

Canadian_Aeroplanes_JN-4_ ; Sky Tamer Canadian Aeroplanes JN-4 Canuck

/artifact/curtiss-jn-4-canuck ingenium canada curtis jn 4 canuck

Shirley is known for being a down to earth sort, sensible. He saw his involvement in the war as necessary, a job to be done, not interested in the adventure. I could see him enjoying the flight itself, even if not so much the risk that was involved. He isn't a daredevil, but he might have enjoyed the good moments. This might be what brings him back to flight later, maybe recreationally. He might even convince Una to go up with him some time. He certainly can't afford his own plane, he would have to use one in a more commercial capacity.

*RoI explains about his first flights through Rilla in Ch. 26:

Shirley wrote me that he was dreadfully disappointed in his first flight," said Rilla. "He had expected to experience the sensation of soaring up from the earth like a bird—and instead he just had the feeling that he wasn't moving at all, but that the earth was dropping away under him. And the first time he went up alone he suddenly felt terribly homesick. He had never felt like that before; but all at once, he said, he felt as if he were adrift in space—and he had a wild desire to get back home to the old planet and the companionship of fellow creatures. He soon got over that feeling, but he says his first flight alone was a nightmare to him because of that dreadful sensation of ghastly loneliness."


End file.
